Camp David shouldn’t get lost in shuffle

Altoona Mirror

In many ways he seems determined to redefine the presidency. In doing so he may give his successors new tools to deal with both domestic and foreign policy.

Let us hope he recognizes the value of some of the old, well-worn tools, too.

Trump, first lady Melania, their son, Barron and her parents tried out Camp David during last weekend. They went to the presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains on Saturday. Trump himself returned to the White House Sunday.

Accustomed to relaxing in plush big-city hotels and pricey golf resorts such as his Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump seems to have little use for the rustic country life.

Earlier this year, he told a group of reporters Camp David is “very rustic … You know how long you’d like it? For about 30 minutes.”

Camp David is a simple, no-frills place in the woods, far from the hustle and bustle that seems to be Trump’s lifeblood.

It is that very quality that seems to have made the mountain retreat a place where history has been made many times.

Some of Trump’s predecessors have found the quiet solitude of Camp David just the thing for getting important things done without distractions.